Second win, but a sweeter one for jockey Dylan Davis
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The first win took longer than expected, the first official win came earlier, but on Sunday afternoon, local jockey Dylan Davis got Romantic Pursuit across the line by a head to win the 10th race on the card and enter the winner’s circle with a huge smile on his face.
It was Davis’ second win at Saratoga Race Course, but this one was a bit different – or the way every jockey wants it to be.
He was awarded a firstplace finish on Monday, July 26 aboard Mister Bobby for trainer H. James Bond after finishing second by a nose and Champagne Chills with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up was disqualified ahead of him.
“To get that winner with the DQ was great, I was happy, wasn’t too ecstatic that it was a DQ, but I’ll take it, of course,” Dylan Davis said. “Now today I actually deserve a fair win at it and now I feel like I’ve got a little bit of momentum going.
“These horses that are coming back from a second should run well coming back later on in the meet and should look for a better meet now.”
Davis was a good bet, finishing second and third more than a dozen times for his trainers and owners, but knew he needed to secure that first across the line.
“I thought I was coming in with a strong group of horses, which I am, but it just wasn’t going our way early this meet,” Davis said. “Horses have been running well, I got a handful of second and thirds, they’re still hitting the board, but there was just one horse or two that were just a little bit better than the ones I have.
“I haven’t been changing a thing, just riding my horses the way they need to be ridden and just a little bit later than sooner here at the meet.”
He had confidence, but it did waiver.
“Mentally it was a little bit harder for my agent, but he was a supporter, a coach also, he said ‘It will come, it will come.’ I said ‘I’m not changing a thing; it’s just a matter of when.’
“I got beat by head bobs, I was cursing after thinking about the whole trip, what could I have done, I don’t see too much to change, it just didn’t happen for me.
“I didn’t want to change a thing, just kept riding hard and stuff. Happy I got something going now.”
On Sunday, he finished second on Shug McGaughey’s Stanhope in the first race of the day, then another second for Bond aboard Queenofeverything and then he sealed the deal on a familiar mount – Romantic Pursuit, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin.
“I had a lot of first-timers that I really enjoyed working them in and I thought they had a great shot, but there was always one horse that was just a little bit better,” Davis said. “With Romantic Pursuit I brought her in with two seconds and two wins.
“I’m happy that Kiaran continues to ride me with the same horses because now I know exactly what they need to do to get the job done and how much horse I’m working with and what they’re quirks are. Me riding the same filly, I know what I have to do, when to move, how much horse I have instead of riding a new horse. I get along well with her and she handles the distance well and she fought hard today and got the job done.”
Even during his final of the day Sunday he was prepared for another heartbreaking dismount and walk to the jockey’s room.
“Late down the stretch, the last 70 yards, she kind of shied from Franco’s horse (Cap de Creus), jumped in maybe a path and I said ‘Oh no, I feel like she might have had maybe a little bit of quit in her, but she didn’t,” Davis said. “She just got comfortable in the ground and she just kept on, nose to the wire which was great.”